"Badges seem to be gaining the most traction in career readiness, particular for so-called 'middle skills' jobs that require more than high school degree but less than four-year college degree," writes Michael Feldstein. "Increasingly, these jobs need an associate’s degree plus something extra." As well, he's "beginning to hear anecdotes of colleges and universities working with area high schools to create badges around college readiness and earning AP-style credit." Think of it as high-school-plus.